Therapeutic Riding

The last class period we met at Horse Sense La Crosse to learn a little more about therapeutic horseback riding. Therapeutic riding uses horse oriented activities to help the riders gain better cognitive skills as well as a better physical, emotional and social well being. Some areas of focus for the riders are to increase posture, balance, strength and coordination. Physical benefits of riding consist of muscle tone and strength, increase range of motion and improve flexibility. Psychological benefits consist of promoting self confidence, self esteem, control over actions and learning new skills. The idea of therapeutic riding seems very fun and beneficial but can be intimidating to some due to the size of the big horses. The Horse Sense program is well designed with a beautiful barn and arena, however when we went we were unable to see the horses which was very disappointing and may have helped to better understand the program and how the clients may interact with the horse. On the internet I came across a wonderful website that also relates to therapeutic riding called Miracles in Motion. This is a great web page and one of the best I found. I suggest checking it out. http://www.mimnh.org/